Aartselaar

Aartselaar, (old spelling: Aertselaer) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp.

The municipality only comprises the town of Aartselaar proper.

Etymology

The origin of the name of the town is obscure; the most probable etymology refers to "Arcelar", a clearing in the woods (laar) located near a border (archas).

Demographics

On January 1, 2016 Aartselaar had a total population of 14,262. The total area is 10.93 km² (4.22mi) which gives a population density of 1,3oo inhabitants per km².

The municipality of Aartselaar is located in the southern outskirts of Antwerp. It is known for its 1801 windmill (Heimolen) as well as the cycling race called Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen.

History

Aartselaar is mentioned for the first time in 1247 as Serlaer and as Aerschelaer in 1309. It became a parish in 1309.

Philip II sold in 1557 the areas within the boundaries of the parish of Aartselaar to Mr Cleydael. Aartselaar remained in the hands of the Lords of Cleydael to create the municipalities at the end of the 18th century.

Despite the good location on this road they remained an agricultural municipality with a very limited industrial development. In the beginning of 19th century more than half of the total area was taken up by arable land. As a result, there was only a low population growth in the municipality.

Between 1950 and 1964, about thirty new companies were founded. As a result, there was a strong immigration and numerous new businesses. This caused the slowing down of agriculture in the municipality. Only horticulture held still for a long time. From 1960 to 1985 the population rose very strongly. The municipality developed itself further to peri-urban suburb of the Antwerp agglomeration with lots of wholesale and distribution centers along the A12. The population reached a maximum around 1995 with 14,500 inhabitants, after which it began to decline slightly. The municipality of Aartselaar is not involved in the large-scale merger of 1977 and also has no known field adjustments since its creation as a municipality. 

 Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aartselaar